The Crusades were a Holy War against the Muslims to conquer Jerusalem. In this war,
many different religions fought against to obtain the Holy lands, which was Jerusalem. The
Franks, was one powerful group that fought against the Muslims, in order to help their
Christians brothers, The Byzantine Empire. From their perspective, the Crusades were caused
by religious, social and economic problems. This started because Alexios I Komnenos,
emperor of the Byzantines, wrote a letter to Pope Urban II asking for help because the
Muslims were attacking them. Pope Urban II told a speech to his people and convinced them
to fight against the Muslims. Pope Urban II wanted to fight and help the Byzantines so he
could have power over the Eastern Orthodox Church and by doing this he would join the two
churches under the power of the Pope. So mainly, the Crusades were caused by religious
forces to obtain power in the name of God. The crusades were caused by economic and social
problems as well. The Byzantines couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford fighting alone against the Muslims, because
the Muslims were too powerful so they asked for help to the Franks. Pope Urban II, agreed to
fight because after defeating the Muslims, they were going to be able to trade and have better
commerce. Finally, the crusades were caused also by social problems because the Byzantines
and the Franks were two different empires that had different point of views but they had a
common enemy, and after defeating the Muslims, the Pope, wanted to join the two Churches
under his power. In conclusion, the causes of the Crusades were a combination of religious,
economic and social forces.